VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6

 

 
 

 

 

 

Friday, March 12, 2004, the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) announced that Ms. Candice M. Rowser, University at Albany, Africana Studies Masters Candidate has been awarded the second place prize for its Graduate Division Student Essay. Candice's paper "The New Agenda for the Pan African Congress of 2006: Future Prospects for African Economic Advancement" was selected from among numerous submissions by Africana masters students across the nation. The paper uncovers reasons for Africa's economic problems, caused primarily by foreign debt, and outlines a recovery agenda for the new Pan African Congress to use as a solution to the problem. The award will be presented during the 28th annual conference of the National Council for Black Studies Student Awards Luncheon on March 19 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Candice received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a special focus on Africana History from St. Lawrence College in 2002, and is completing her final semester in the UAlbany Africana Masters program. She has been accepted into the Ph.D. program in History at Temple University for fall 2004 and aspires to become a professor of Africana Studies specializing in the History of African Women in Politics, African Political Economy, and African Socio-Politics.

While a student in the Department of Africana Studies, Candice volunteered with the department's "Save Africa From AIDS" (SAFA) campaign, served as a Graduate Assistant for the Africana Families and History of Civil Rights courses, and after a transformational visit to Ghana during the department's Summer 2003 Study Abroad Program, Candice started working to raise funds for a variety of community-based projects such as the Mole Day Care Center and Elementary School in Damongo, Ghana.

Candice currently serves as Vice President of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), and in her leadership position as Chair of the Nefer Rohu Africana Graduate and Professional Student Organization, she has overseen planning for the "Panafest 2004" Africana Heritage and Awareness Series, scheduled from March 25-April 15. Candice will be presenting excerpts from her paper during the Panafest session, "African-centeredness and Pan Africanism," Thursday, March 25 at 5 p.m. in Campus Center, Room 375.

Story By Dr. Sharon Parkinson, Department of Africana Studies

 

*This article and photo are a reprint from the University of Albany website. http://www.albany.edu/africana/announcements/NCBSAward.html